Matt Pulle is an assistant attorney general in Tennessee. His office was in charge of overseeing the National Mortgage Settlement with Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others, and will be doing the same with Ocwen.

Pulle explained, "In the aftermath of the bailouts, financial institutions like Ocwen were required and are still required to evaluate people for relief when they fall behind."

Investigations across the country reveal Ocwen wasn't doing that.

"They're not returning phone calls, losing documentation, taking very, very long, to just process, very, very basic requests," added Pulle about what the investigation revealed.

Court documents also show the company engaged in "robo-signing," or simply putting homeowners through a fast paced foreclosure without due process.

Barry told the On Your Side Investigators, "I felt like our phone calls were a nuisance, frankly, like what do you want? That's how I felt."

Before we met the Fords, they'd already tried getting a loan modification. Their current interest rate is 11.6 percent.

Barry describes what it was like making those requests: "Denied, so you fill out another one, denied!"

"It shouldn't be like calling your cable company, this is far more important," Pulle said.

The settlement also requires Ocwen to assign customers one point of contact when they call for help.

Plus, the company must at least explain alternatives to foreclosure.

"Even if you're not eligible for principal reduction, there are other programs, other federal programs, even other state programs that can help you stay in your home," said Pulle.

Barry and Mary still aren't quite sure where they fall in terms of eligibility with the settlement.

"Reading the criteria gave me a little hope...as long as they do something to help us keep this house, that's the important thing."

They're cautiously optimistic that after so many nos, they'll finally get a yes, and hope by sharing their story, someone else gets to stay in their home, too.

Barry said, "If we can successfully matriculate this process and save our home, maybe we can be a light for some other people."

The Fords are still in the process of working with the attorney general's office and Ocwen to see if they qualify.

Ocwen will notify some eligible homeowners.

However, if you're an Ocwen customer that was affected by this, call 800-337-6695 or email ConsumerRelief@Ocwen.com.

Pulle also suggests finding a certified, HUD counselor to help navigate the process and assist with filling out paperwork.

1 Comment

Brad

I feel for this couple and hope they get the relief they need. My father has Ocwen and they are absolutely horrible! I just finished fighting with them to get a loan modification after 3 months. Always told relationship manager would call us, nope it was the outsourced call center. I’m amazed even after the lawsuit this company is still operational.